buying into Whitetail. If they see you pulling out, that will squirrel the whole deal and I’ll lose millions. I can’t let you do that.”
“Lucas, please…”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, my friend.” Lucas glanced over his shoulder once more. “And I’m only telling you this because I need you out there pushing this resort—”
“Tell me what?”
“There is no resort being built on the mountain,” Lucas revealed.
“What!” Sully gasped at Lucas’s insidious revelation.
Lucas laughed boisterously to cover Sully’s outburst. “Shhh, keep your voice down,” Lucas sternly warned, looking deeply into Sully’s fearful eyes, keeping his hand firmly resting on Sully’s shoulder. “Now you know the truth.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Well, because now that I have you by the short hairs, you will stay in the game and you will use your considerable influence to bring in those investors who are on the fence. You will be on one of the luxury buses I chartered for next week, and you will do your very best to convince all those potential investors to purchase. I’m expecting forty or fifty more to commit out of those two buses full of prospects and put their twenty-five percent down. If you do that, I’ll refund your money at the end of the two weeks, just in time to save you from the auditors.”
Sully looked like someone had punched him in the gut. His eyes were glassy, and he was sweating profusely now, as his breathing appeared labored. No words came.
“Now,” he handed Sully a napkin from the table, “wipe the sweat and that stupid look off your face—we’re going to return to the party and you are going to act like the happy brother of the bride.” Lucas used a warm, even tone, as his hand continued to rest on Sully’s shoulder, squeezing. “Agreed?”
Sully pulled away from Lucas’s grip and he found his voice. “What about Maggie?”
“Maggie doesn’t know anything. If you help me—which you will—she won’t know anything until the day of the wedding when she finds that I’ve left town. I don’t want to hurt her, she’s a sweet gal and very easy on the eyes. She deserves someone far better than me. When she finds out what I’ve done, I’m sure she’ll get over me fast enough.”
With a stoic stare, Sully nodded his understanding.
“We should get back to the party before people start wondering about us.” Lucas turned and walked back to the deck, wearing a satisfied grin, rather pleased with himself.
~*~
“Where’s Sully?” Emily asked Lucas as he stepped up on the deck.
Lucas turned, looking. He cleared his throat. “I think he got a phone call. He must have had to take care of something.”
He breezed past her, avoiding her gaze, and took his place next to Maggie.
Emily had observed their private pow-wow. She was suspicious. Why would Sully have left the party without saying good-bye to his sister? That wasn’t like him.
Turning the music down, Camille’s husband, Jonathan, vigorously jangled a cowbell to gain everyone’s attention as his wife stepped through the French doors, holding a platter full of barbecued chicken.
“Well, now that everyone’s here, let’s get this barbecue started,” Camille exclaimed from the top of the deck. “The food is ready. Grab a plate.”
She placed the platter on the long table she had set up for all the barbecued meats and side dishes she’d prepared. Like a mother hen, she rounded everyone up and encouraged them to fix their plates and dig in. Once the guests served themselves, they sat to eat. A collection of square and round tables, covered with red-and-white-checkered tablecloths, were scattered around the deck and the lawn. The music started up again and so did the chatter.
Camille had done a fabulous job, her friends praised, putting on a spread of ribs and chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad and more.
Lucas sat and ate for a while with Maggie, Gloria, and Emily before excusing himself to spend time with the other guests. Emily watched as he moved from table to table, looking as though he was trying to make sure everyone was having a good time and thanking them for coming.
Emily’s attention was drawn back to her table as Maggie described Emily’s beautiful gazebo to Mrs. Wakefield. Maggie went on to describe the flowers and yards of cascading tulle she planned for the gazebo and the perimeter of the garden. The older woman seemed delighted by the picture of the setting Maggie had painted for her. She nodded and smiled in-between bites of